Heart of a Hero
by OrphOfTheAbyss
Summary: "If the world is made of Light and Darkness... we'll be the darkness." A choice to leave their world in the hands of their friends leads Sora and Riku to a different world, one where they have a chance to start over, live normal lives. Or at least, as normal as the Keybearers can hope for.
1. In these Dark Depths

_**AN: This is a story idea that simply wouldn't leave my mind. Not sure if I want to turn it into a full series, but let me know if you would like more of it.**_

Chapter 1 – In these Dark Depths

Sora sighed as he sat back on the grey sand, a content smile spreading across his face.

Riku sat beside him, looking almost envious of his friend's peace before slipping into a calm all his own. Sora was right, the world of Light was safe. They had nothing more to worry about...

Defeating Xemnas was a hard task, something that Riku's body refused to let him forget, but in the end, it was all worth it. Kairi and the others were safe and sound, the worlds never needing to fear the Organization again.

"If the world is made of light and darkness..." Riku said slowly, eyes opening to watch the tide. "We'll be the darkness."

Sora looked at the silver haired teen, and nodded slowly, a small smile still on his face.

"Yeah..." He breathed, falling backward into the sand. "Kairi and the others can handle things on that side, right?"

"Right." Riku echoed, staring ahead in contemplation. He had long since decided he belonged in the dark, as punishment for what he did to his home, his friends... himself, but Sora...

"I can stay here alone." Riku said suddenly. "You should find a way back, Sora."

The brunette shot up from his recline, blue eyes hard as he scowled in a way that only Sora could.

"C'mon Riku, you know I'm not gonna leave you here on your own!" He protested, arms crossed. "You've been hanging out in darkness too long, it's making you stupid."

Riku blinked, then laughed. Laughed harder than he remembered laughing in a long time, not since...

Since he had last sat on the Islands with his friends.

"Sora..." He muttered, reaching out and ruffling the brunette's hair. "Thanks."

Sora pouted slightly, knocking Riku's hand away, before poking him in the chest.

"I already told you, you don't have to do things on your own anymore." He chastised, smiling at him, the act brighter than the sun. "You have friends. I'm here for you, Riku."

Riku smiled softly, so slight that anyone else would have missed it, but Sora beamed as he accepted the heartfelt action, not a smirk, or a teasing grin, but a loving smile.

And in that moment, light suddenly engulfed their vision.

In the water, a doorway of light opened, banishing the dark film that permeated the very air in this place, and making the pair shield their eyes, even as they wanted to stare and never look away.

"Light..." Riku breathed, awestruck. Was it always so easy to find...?

"The door to light..." Sora said softly, then shot to his feet, grinning as he offered his hand to Riku. "We'll go together. Right?"

Riku hesitated, fingers twitching as he tried to say no, tried to say he wasn't worth it, but Sora simply smiled, reaching down closer.

Riku sighed, smiling at him and nodding.

"Yeah..." He said, taking the hand. "Together."

He let Sora pull him up, standing unsteadily, his body protesting due to his injuries.

"I don't know where it leads..." Sora muttered, taking a step forward, hand in Riku's. "But wherever it leads, we go together."

Riku closed his eyes, and nodded.

"Always." He told his friend, and together they stepped into the door.

* * *

Izuku Midoryia stood on the beach he had worked so hard to clean not too long ago, before he had inherited One for All, before he was accepted into UA...

And before he had nearly been expelled on the first day.

Izuku gulped as he looked at his bandaged finger, wincing a little at the reminder of how close he'd come to his dream being cut short.

 _But... Aizawa-sensei is right. I need a better handle on One for All._

He clenched his hand, thankful for Recovery Girl's quirk but knowing that he can't afford to rely on it. He needed to be able to use his new power without destroying himself...

He raised the hand to the sky, feeling the power course through his arm, lighting it up like rivers of pure power flowing through his veins, and he grit his teeth, feeling that power twitching to be released, fighting to work its way out of his arm.

"No..." He growled, forcing the power back down, feeling it recede into wherever it went when he wasn't using it. "No... dammit."

Why was it so hard?! Why did Kaachan and the others have such ease with their quirks, but he...?

 _It's because they've had more time with them. Don't blame them for this! You just need practice... practice..._

Izuku swallowed, letting the power build in his arm again, this time trying to taper it down to just his hand, though it did nothing for the immense build-up that he was sure would break him.

"But..." He muttered aloud. "If I don't try, if I don't practice, then how can I improve...?"

He pulled his arm back, feeling the swell of power purring in his arm, begging to be released, to be channeled, to be-

Izuku swung, screaming from the depths of his heart the single word that represented his dream.

"SMAAAASH!"

The water parted in a wide arc, the wind propelled by the punch tearing through it like wet paper, and Izuku let out a strangled scream as he felt his arm tear and break from the power, tears building in his eyes as he tried to force the pain down.

But as he dropped to one knee, in the parted water, a gateway of pure light seemed to open.

Izuku stared, pain forgotten as his jaw dropped, the water refusing to flow over the gate as it hung in the air.

"Did... did I do that?" He asked softly, before nearly hitting himself. Of course he didn't... it looked like some sort of warping quirk...

And then, two figures walked out of the gate, falling into the water as it rushed to meet them.

In a blink, Izuku moved.

Ignoring the pain in his arm he dove into the water, swimming with everything he had toward the pair, both of them looking out of it, one even unconscious. He reached the one with silver hair first, pulling him toward the shallows as the brunette began to swim to the surface, looking a lot more alert.

"R-Riku!" He shouted, clearly worried for his friend, and Izuku managed a wide grin.

"I-It's okay!" He shouted, pulling the older teen up onto the beach. "It'll all be okay!"

The brunette raced up to the silver teen's side, checking him for injuries.

"Riku, you okay?" He asked softly. "Riku, c'mon!"

The silverette, Riku, groaned softly, looking exhausted as he managed to open his eyes.

"Not dead yet, Sor..." He muttered softly, and his friend grinned brightly, wiping away some tears.

"Dammit, you scared me for a minute!" He laughed, hitting him lightly in the shoulder, and Izuku smiled at them.

"Glad to see you're both okay..." He said, drawing their attention. "I dunno what would have happened if I didn't see you two go in the water..."

The two friends shared a look, before the brunette smiled at Izuku.

"Yeah, thanks a lot!" He said, offering a hand. "I'm Sora, and this is my friend Riku."

Izuku took the hand and shook it, thankful it was his good hand.

"Izuku." He introduced, before the sudden pain in his hand returned, causing him to wince and fall to his knee again.

In a flash Sora was next to him, helping him steady himself.

"Whoa, what happened to your hand?!" He asked, staring at the purple and broken hand, which, Izuku noted semi-happily, was only broken up to the wrist.

Progress.

"I kinda... did it to myself." Izuku admitted softly. "Trying to get a handle on my quirk..."

Riku cocked an eyebrow, sitting up and looking at the green-haired youth.

"Quirk?" He asked, causing Izuku to blink in surprise.

"You... don't know about quirks?" He asked, not really understanding. Maybe they called them something different where they came from? "Y'know... superpowers?"

Sora blinked, sharing a look with Riku.

"Well, we know about powers." Riku muttered softly. "But nothing called 'quirks'."

Izuku nodded, understanding. They must have come from a pretty isolated place... in fact, Sora looked like he was wearing black waders, maybe they were islanders?

"Well, this is Japan." He explained, and frowned when he saw the blank look on their faces. "Wow you must be a long way from home... where are you from?"

"Destiny Islands." Sora said, smiling slightly before a sad look crossed his face. "I don't think... we can go back there."

Riku shared a sad look with Sora, looking like he wanted to take the brown-haired teen in his arms, but restrained himself.

"Well, I haven't heard of the place, but you're more than welcome here!" Izuku said, grinning widely. "I'd be happy to show you guys around a little!"

Sora grinned alongside him, and Riku looked amused at the new friend Sora had made effortlessly.

"Cool, I'd be happy to!" Sora said, before glancing at the broken hand Izuku was still sporting. "Oh yeah, well... I can fix that first."

Before Izuku could say anything, he was silence by a flash of light, and a huge key appearing in Sora's hand, a simple design of a silver 'blade' with a gold guard for his hand. He waved it at Izuku and green light washed over him, and he stared in amazement as his hand healed perfectly.

What's more, he didn't feel tired at all. In fact he felt even better than before.

"What was THAT?!" Izuku asked, resisting with everything he had to go get his notebook. "Such a cool quirk! What's it called?!"

Sora looked sheepishly at the key then at Riku, who gave him a look of 'you got yourself into this'.

"Well, its called a Keyblade." Sora explained. "And its... sort of a magic sword that comes from my heart."

Izuku grinned, committing the knowledge to memory as he looked over the weapon. A sort of creation quirk with other abilities tied to it! Who knows what else it could do...?

"Riku has one too!" Sora said suddenly, and Riku scowled at him for throwing him under the bus.

Izuku gaped at him, looking between the two for familial similarities.

"You two aren't brothers, are you?" He asked, and Riku snorted, shaking his head.

"In all but blood." Sora said, grinning goofily and Riku flexed his hand, summoning Way to the Dawn.

Izuku looked over the key, so different from Sora's but still the same quirk, clearly. But how weird was it... two people, having such similar quirks and being best friends?

"You guys are so lucky, you can practice with each other and you both benefit!" Izuku said, grinning, and Riku smiled.

"Not quite." He said, dismissing his keyblade. "The way we apply our power is very different."

That made sense, Izuku supposed. Unless they were taught by the same teacher, they would have very different ways of applying their quirks.

Izuku stared down at his hand, flexing it as he thought about what to do.

"...oh, I know!" He said, shooting to his feet. "I've gotta make a call, but I'll see if I can get a... my teacher to help you guys out!"

Izuku shot off, pulling out his phone to call All Might, still a little unsure if he wanted to waste his hero's time with this, but... these guys needed help.

And helping people was what heroes do.

* * *

"...weird kid." Riku muttered as he watched Izuku run off.

Sora snorted, crossing his arms.

"I like him." He defended. "And what do you mean, kid? You only a year older than me, and he looks to be about my age!"

Riku chuckled, flicking some sand at Sora as he looked out at the ocean.

"The waves still sound the same." Riku said softly, and Sora followed his gaze out to the ocean.

"Yeah..." He admitted, sitting beside Riku. "But still... weird world we've found ourselves on, huh?"

Riku nodded, brewing on what they'd learned. Quirks, huh? Looked to be some sort of innate magic these people possessed.

"Its handy." He told Sora. "We can pass off our keyblades as quirks, blend in a little easier."

Sora nodded, leaning back into the sand.

"But, what should we do?" He asked softly, sounding lost. "We could try to get home, but... no ship, no corridors of darkness, no door to light..."

Riku nodded, tempted to try to call on that power again, but feeling strangely empty when it came to darkness.

It was still there, but... he knew that until he was at full strength, his darkness would remain weak as well.

"We already said what we would do." Riku said, drawing Sora's attention. "We'll live... be the other side to our world. I say we try to build a life here... and maybe, someday, we go home."

Sora stayed silent for a bit before grinning and nodding.

"Sure, why not!" He said, laughing. "I kinda miss normal life, to be honest. It'll be nice to not have to worry about saving the worlds!"

Riku chuckled, ruffling the brunette's hair.

"Plus, you won't want to leave you're knew friend behind." Riku teased, causing Sora to blush and swat his hand away.

"Of course not!" He muttered, causing Riku to laugh again.

"Sap." He teased, causing Sora to bite back. "Loner!"

"Do gooder."

"Tall!"

"How is that an insult?"

"How is being a do gooder an insult?!"

"Next you'll pick on me for having silver hair."

"Maybe I will! Maybe you dye it!"

"Maybe you gel your hair into spikes every morning."

"Do not!"

Riku suddenly bust out laughing, leaning back onto the sand as Sora also started chuckling and laughing alongside him.

Maybe... Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe a chance to live, and enjoy life, is exactly what they needed.


	2. In this New World

_**AN: Just to let everyone know where I am with this in terms of knowledge...**_

 _ **I have finished all the KH games multiple times, and have watched to the end of Season 3 of MHA. I am NOT a manga reader, so don't bring those spoilers here!**_

Chapter 2 – In this New World

It was a wary but intrigued Toshinori that sat in the staff room at UA, fingers tapping the table as he stared at the two files open in front of him.

Sora and Riku. No last names given, and from what he had gathered they simply didn't have them. Islanders, and isolated ones at that, with very strange Quirks.

"Keyblade..." He muttered, frowning as he read through the information he had managed to gather.

Sora, the spiky haired brunette, had been very open and trusting, after he had calmed down from meeting such an imposing and 'cool' figure. But Riku...

Riku had spoken very little, an air of distrust coloring his tone when he did, but Toshinori had seen the way he inched closer to Sora to protect him, the way he comforted and eased his friends worries.

No, Riku was no villain. But he still did not trust the number one hero.

Which, if they knew nothing of All Might, is a little understandable.

"I am kind of intimidating..." Toshinori chuckled, before sighing.

So little information on these two, but...

"So, what's your opinion, All Might?"

Toshinori looked up at Principle Nezu, who was sitting across from him along with some of the other staff, Aizawa and Midnight to be precise.

The deflated hero gestured at the files.

"We have no other information, and I can find nothing on a place called Destiny Islands." He reported. "It's possible it's only a local name for a set of Islands near Japan, but even then, I can't find anything."

Aizawa grunted.

"So, do you think they're a threat?" He asked, the usual suspicion and cation coloring his tone.

Toshinori shook his head.

"Young Midoryia had more time with them than I did, and he is convinced they are good people." He said, and smiled slightly at the thought.

"You are bias towards his opinion." Aizawa stated, eyes narrow. "He is also a child, we cannot take his word alone."

Nezu nodded.

"But I believe All Might has a proposal, does he not?" The principle asked, and Toshinori nodded.

"I suggest we enroll them." He said simply, and silence filled the room.

"What?" Aizawa stated. "You want to let them into the school? When we know next to nothing about them?"

"I see where he is coming from..." Midnight murmured, her finger on his lips in thought. "Here, we can monitor them easily. There are even dorms here they could stay in to solve their homeless issue."

Toshinori nodded at the R-Rated hero.

"Best case scenario, they are simple teenagers that simply want a home." Nezu mused. "Worst case, we discover they are secretly villains, and can deal with them accordingly. A sound plan, All Might."

Aizawa muttered something lowly, before clearing his throat.

"Then what class will they be placed in?" He asked, and Toshinori smiled weakly at him.

"Well, I was thinking yours, Eraser..." He said slowly, before raising his hands as if he could stop the glare he was receiving. "I-I only think that you are well suited to handle them, and it would be a good idea to place them with someone they already know!"

Aizawa closed his eyes and breathed out.

"Midoriya..." He muttered. "...as long as they are up to my standard, fine. We will need to make them do the entry test."

Nezu nodded, black eyes sparkling.

"It will also be a good chance to see their quirks in action." The principle stated. "It will be ready by tomorrow... Where are they staying now, All Might?"

Toshinori rubbed the back of his head.

"Well..."

* * *

"I can't believe All Might was so nice!" Sora exclaimed, flopping down onto a bed. "Letting us stay in a place till we get one!"

Riku rolled his eyes, sitting down on the side of the bed. It wasn't anything special, a small apartment in a complex, a floor down from Izuku apparently, but still, the gesture was appreciated.

"Still, wasn't he awesome!?" Sora said, rolling over to look at Riku. "A real-life Superhero!"

Riku shook his head, reaching over and ruffling his friend's hair.

"I'm glad you're so excited, but..." He muttered. "We shouldn't trust him."

Sora blinked, sitting up to look at Riku better.

"Why, what's up?" He asked, sounding concerned, and Riku sighed.

"His scent is... weird." He told the brunette, and Sora frowned.

"Still not used to that smelling thing." He grumbled, then looked up. "Is he Dark...?"

Riku shook his head.

"No, he's very Light. Almost annoyingly so." He said, rolling his eyes. "But... it's more like, its forced. Like he is trying too hard to make others see it."

Sora frowned again, falling back onto the bed.

"...I kinda get that." He muttered. "I mean, no one really is like that, right? He's playing the part of a superhero... so maybe it's just that."

Riku hummed, not convinced, but decided to let it drop.

"Still..." Sora said, grinning again. "What a weird world, huh?"

Riku couldn't argue with him there. A place where pretty much everyone had weird powers, some simple, like controlling fire or water, some complex, like being part animal or having extra or changed limbs.

"The guys would fit right in here..."

Riku looked over at Sora, who had a sad, wistful smile on his face, and Riku smiled in a comforting way at him, patting his leg.

"We'll see them again, Sor." He told his friend. "I know we will."

Sora nodded slowly, staring up at the ceiling before letting out a huge yawn.

"I think we should rest up." Riku decided, stretching himself. "The fight against Xemnas took a lot out of us... we wanna be in top shape for whatever it is this world throws at us."

Sora frowned at looked at his friend.

"You think bad stuff is gonna happen?" He asked, and Riku shrugged.

"Worlds don't stay peaceful forever." He reminded Sora. "There are gonna be bad people, doing bad things, everywhere. And I know you're not gonna be able to just ignore people asking for help."

Sora grinned brightly.

"Yeah, maybe I'll be a superhero!" He laughed. "I mean, it looks like that's a normal thing here, right? I've always wanted to be someone cool like that!"

Riku chuckled softly, getting up and going to have a shower.

 _Sora... you already are a hero. You have been for a long time._

* * *

It didn't take long to get a visit the next morning, a sleepy Sora answering the door in nothing but his shorts to see a tired, grumpy looking man with long black hair.

"Are you both awake?" He asked, sounding already done with the conversation.

Sora sleepily blinked and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, just..." He muttered. "Just gotta shower and eat, something..."

The newcomer looked over the teen with a careful eye, noting how toned and scarred in places the young man seemed to be, with an especially large scar on his chest, over his heart.

"...fine, go shower and get dressed, you can eat on the way." He said, sounding annoyed at the delay. "Really, you should have been up for hours, its nearly 11 in the morning."

Sora blinked again and looked over at the clock on the wall inside the house, eyes widening at the time.

"Oh, damn..." He muttered. "I guess we were more tired than I thought... I'll go wake Riku up, do you wanna sit inside while we get ready?"

The tired man nodded and came inside, sitting down on the couch and watching as Sora quickly gathered up his clothes and dashed off into another room, hearing faint muttering as he woke up the other teen.

Aizawa frowned as he looked around the empty apartment, noting the lack of anything of of their own except for shoes. If they did have creation quirks, they would have used them to give themselves the basics, but it seems their quirks are limited to the strange weapon they create.

Soon, the silver haired teen came out, hair wet from a shower, and slipped his shoes on.

"I don't think we've been introduced." He muttered. "I'm Riku, as you probably already know."

Aizawa got a distinctly different feel from this teen than the other, whereas he would consider the brunette too trusting, this one felt closed off and wary.

They probably only survived this far by covering for each other's weaknesses.

"Aizawa." The teacher introduced. "Also known as Eraser Head."

Riku cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you a superhero as well?" He asked, tone wary, but not for the reason Aizawa guessed All Might thought he was.

"That is correct." Aizawa muttered. "Pro heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Not all of us are like All Might."

Riku's lips twitched slightly in amusement, and soon the brunette came stumbling out, tugging on his shoe as he went.

"O-Okay, I'm ready!" He shouted, giving a grin and a thumbs up. "Thanks for waiting, uh..."

"Aizawa." He repeated, getting to his feet. "And come with me, I will explain on the way."

He left the apartment and began to walk down the stairs to the ground floor.

"It's been decided to give you both a chance to enter the UA Acadamy." Aizawa explained. "A school for upcoming heroes to master their quirks and learn to help and protect people."

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. "A school for heroes! Riku, we're going to a school for heroes!"

Riku rolled his eyes.

"Any other type of school would have you groaning." Riku teased lightly. "You do know they probably have homework like any other school, right?"

"But its HERO homework!" Sora insisted, eyes shining, and Aizawa sighed.

 _Great, another one..._

"Being a hero is hard, series work." He admonished. "It is not fun and games."

Sora seemed to calm down, giving a serious nod, but the sparkling light hadn't left his eyes.

Riku sighed.

"So we're being given the chance to join." He surmised. "Why?"

Aizawa paused, looking at Riku.

"...because we cannot trust you." He said bluntly. "And here we can keep an eye on you."

Sora blinked.

"...what?" He asked, looking genuinely confused. "I mean, I get not knowing us, but we're not bad guys!"

Riku glanced at Sora.

"I think that's fair." Riku said, relaxing a little. "I would find it weird if they did trust us, Sor."

Sora frowned but nodded in understanding, and Aizawa knew he'd made the right call.

These two clearly didn't like being lied to and led along in the dark.

"You two will be tested to see what class you will be placed in." He continued, walking toward a car, supplied by the school for transport of students. "The test is combat orientated. You will be destroying robots that are worth one, two or three points, while avoiding a robot worth zero points, set as an obstacle."

Riku frowned, processing the test, while Sora grinned.

"Oh cool!" He said, jogging on the spot and looking at Riku in a challenging way. "I bet I can get more points than you."

Like a switch had been flipped, Riku went from calm and analyzing to grinning in return, a cocky glint to his eyes.

"Oh please, you have no chance." He responded, leading Sora to get up close to him.

"The usual?" He goaded, and Riku smirked.

"Loser buys the winner ice-cream." He said, and Sora grinned widely, nodding.

"Deal."

Aizawa got into the car, silently regretting ever agreeing to this.

"Get in." He said shortly, and the two obliged, getting into the back and sitting silently as they watched the city roll by.

As thankful for the silence as Aizawa was, he was curious as to why even the energetic Sora was simply watching. Surly the city can't be that interesting.

They arrived at the testing ground, one of the mock cities the school used for this express purpose, and the two teens got out of the car, looking around at the high walls.

"These are constructed cities for these tests." Aizawa explained, and Sora gaped at it.

"Whole cities just for one test?!" He asked, and Aizawa ignored him, walking up to the gate.

"You will have thirty minutes." He said to them, turning to face them. "Once time is up, no more points will be counted. Are you ready?"

Sora glanced at Riku, and they both nodded.

"Fine then." He muttered, opening the gate. "Go."

The two teens shot past him at high speed, already competing with each other in even starting the test, and Aizawa sighed, walking off to join the others in the monitoring room.

* * *

"Thirteen!" Sora shouted, slicing through another robot with his Kingdom Key, grinning as he saw Riku take out another with a volley of Dark Firaga.

"Just thirteen?" He teased. "I'm at seventeen. Keep up, Sor!"

They pushed into the fray, each making quirk work of the weak robots, neither of them taking a scratch in the battle.

More and more robots fell to their blades, until they reached the fifteen-minute mark.

Suddenly, the ground quaked, and the large zero-point robot rolled into the scene, causing both Sora and Riku to stop.

"...I guess that's the one worth zero, right?" Sora asked, arms tense on his blade.

Riku nodded, glancing around at the lack of lesser robots.

"It's going to get in our way a lot..." Riku muttered, glancing at Sora. "Truce till its dealt with?"

Sora grinned, nodding.

"It's not worth any points anyway, so no reason to not work together." He said, stretching his arm as the giant robot pulled its huge arm up, getting ready to strike at them.

Sora raised a fist up to Riku, smiling at his friend, and Riku smiled back, raising his fist and bumping it against the brunettes.

The robot suddenly punched forward, looking to crush them in one blast, but it impacted against an invisible barrier, Sora grinning from within it as he flourished his keyblade, Riku tensing beside him.

"Reflect!"

The massive impact from the robot suddenly blasted back into its arm, shattering it all the way up to the shoulder joint, and Riku was gone in a blink, racing up the falling arm, jumping from one piece to another, before he leapt up to the other arm, sending a wave of Dark Firaga into the shoulder joint, melting the metal and causing the other arm to crumple, leaving the robot with no way to defend itself.

"Sora!" Riku called, flipping backward out of the way as Sora leapt up to join him, grabbing onto Riku's arm as he flung his friend high into the sky.

Sora grinned, flipping around with orange light gathering on his keyblade tip, until it swelled to a large ball.

"Ragnarok!"

In a burst, the ball exploded into many lasers of the same color, racing down and impacting all over the robot, blasting it into pieces as it had no way to block the lasers.

The robot didn't stand a chance as it was reduced to a smoldering pile of scrap, Sora landing beside Riku as they fist bumped again, grinning.

"Nice work." Riku complimented, turning to the other side of the city. "But I'm still gonna win."

Sora rolled his eyes, settling into his stance.

"In your dreams, Riku!"

They raced off into the fray again, leaving the watching staff of UA to simply sit in silence, blown away by what they had just seen.

* * *

"What... what kind of quirk do these kids have?!" Present Mic shouted, glasses having fallen off his face in shock.

"I thought it was more than just creation, but this..." Aizawa muttered, eyes training on the feed. "This is something else."

At the back of the room, Toshinori watched in grave silence. These boys can't just have one quirk, it seemed as if they had many quirks. There is no way the ability to summon those weapons is what let Riku shout flames from his hand, or what let Sora heal Young Midoriya.

Toshinori clenched his hands, hoping that is was all a coincidence, that these boys were innocent and unconnected to the being he feared was behind this.

 _All for One... is this your doing...?_


	3. In this UA High School

Chapter 3 – In this UA High School

Once all was said and done, and the buzzer rang for the end of the test, Sora had managed to rack up a total of 73 points, while Riku had managed to edge him out with smarter selection of his targets, reaching 81.

"I can't believe I lost..." Sora groaned, flopping onto the ground and throwing up is arms. "I swear I destroyed more than you!"

Riku chuckled, dismissing Way to the Dawn and sitting beside his friend.

"You did." He admitted. "Mine were just worth more points."

Sora blinked, then groaned again.

"I completely forgot they were worth different amounts!" He shouted, hitting the back of his head into the ground lightly. "Dammit, should have known... you were straight up ignoring some of them..."

Riku laughed at his friend, patting him on the shoulder in comfort.

"Well, looks like you owe me ice-cream." He teased. "I like chocolate, as you know."

"Yeah, yeah..." Sora said, pouting as he sat up. "Don't have to rub it in, Riku..."

They both turned as they heard someone coming closer, seeing it was Aizawa.

"You both did pretty well." He said in a monotone. "We'll let you know by the end of the day if you passed."

"Preeeetty sure we did..." Sora said, scratching his head. "I mean, kids pass this test, right? Izuku must have, this is the school he kept talking about."

Riku nodded, crossing his arms.

"If normal kids can pass it, we aced it with flying colors." Riku said confidently, and the tired looking man shrugged.

"We will be using different criteria for you two." He informed them. "So don't get your hopes up yet."

Sora frowned, getting to his feet.

"Wait, I thought we were just being judged by the points." He muttered. "Is there something else?"

"We don't just go by how many points you earn by destroying robots." Aizawa stated, turning away. "It won't take too long to evaluate you, so you can hang around till we're done."

Aizawa wasn't a big fan of the idea, but the others wanted to see how the two interacted with the students before they became students themselves.

Of course, they would be heavily monitored, but still, it was too big a risk for Aizawa.

"Oh, can we get something to eat?" Sora asked, looking hopeful. "I'm starving after that!"

Aizawa glanced at his phone.

"...its nearly lunch now, so you can go eat in the cafeteria." He told them. "There are signs pointing to it. Don't go doing anything disruptive."

Sora offered a lopsided grin, hands behind his head.

"Course not!" He said with confidence. "We never get into any trouble..."

"Nothing that we start anyway..." Riku muttered, walking past the others. "C'mon Sora, if it's a school café then the food won't last long."

Sora yelped and ran after him, rambling about wanting to try the new types of food in this place, and Aizawa sighed, rubbing one eye.

"Aside from their power, they really do act like normal kids..." He muttered, turning to rejoin the teachers in grading the newcommers. "Hmm..."

* * *

Izuku sighed as he sat down with the others. He hadn't heard anything from All Might about Sora and Riku... he knew that the hero would do right by them, but he wanted to know what happened.

"Maybe he found their home..." He muttered, drawing the attention of Ururaka as she sat down.

"Cheer up Deku." She said brightly. "You said All Might was going to help them, right?"

Izuku had let his friends know, that being Ururaka and Iida, of his chance encounter on the beach the night before, and they had naturally been worried and curious like him.

"Don't worry, Midoriya-kun." Iida said, sitting across from Izuku. "You did the right thing bringing in a teacher to help, very responsible of you."

Izuku blushed lightly, laughing a little.

"I-It really wasn't..." He muttered. "I just... didn't know what else to do..."

They started eating, Ururaka offering small talk while Iida responded in his normal, formal manner and Izuku spent more time staring off into space than actually listening.

It wasn't until he heard a familiar, warm laugh that he snapped back into focus, looking around rapidly until he saw him.

"Sora?!"

The brunette stopped, holding a tray of food and standing beside the other teen he had met that night, Riku, and Sora grinned brightly at him.

"Izuku!" He shouted, running over with Riku in tow, who rolled his eyes at him. "We found you!"

Izuku looked between his friends and the newcomers, stammering as he attempted to introduce them.

"E-Everyone, these are the guys I told you about, Sora and Riku." He managed to get out, and they both nodded in return.

"Nice to meet you!" Ururaka said, smiling. "I'm Ochaco Ururaka!"

"And I am Tenya Iida." The formal teen said, bowing slightly in his chair. "A pleasure, both of you."

Sora smiled at them.

"Nice to meet you guys too, Ochaco, Tenya!" He said, looking to his friend. "Can we sit with them, Riku?"

The silver haired teen blinked.

"...shouldn't you ask them?" He asked, causing Sora to blink.

"Oh, yeah, but..." He muttered. "I didn't want to drag you stuff, Riku."

Riku rolled his eyes.

"Trust me, I've long since gotten used to you making random friends with random people." He said, before glancing at the others. "No offence, guys."

"None taken." Iida muttered, adjusting his glasses. "You two are as crass and different as Midoriya-kun lead us to believe."

Sora blinked as he sat down, after seeing Izuku gesture for them to sit.

"I mean, are we different?" He asked, looking at Riku, who snorted.

"Very." He told his friend. "Not just out clothes either. We don't have last names, sorry for the confusion."

"Oh yeah, All Might mentioned that was weird..." Sora muttered. "Sorry, where we come from it just isn't a thing."

Iida seemed to relax a little at that, causing Izuku to sigh at his friend's rigidity.

"Then I suppose it is understandable." He muttered. "In Japan, people are addressed by their family name, or last name, unless you are close to them or they give you permission to use it. I would appreciate it if you call me Iida, Sora-kun."

Sora smiled brightly, nodding.

"Alright, Iida, as long as you drop the kun on my name!" He said, trying to compromise, and Izuku grinned a little as he saw Iida twitch.

"It's fine, Iida-kun." Izuku said, laughing. "I don't think they really get it, y'know?"

Iida sighed.

"Yes, I suppose." He muttered. "Very well, Sora. And Riku, I suppose."

Riku offered a small smile.

"Only if it makes you comfortable, Iida-kun." Riku said, earning a smile from the uptight teen.

"C'mon Riku, why you gotta make me look bad..." Sora groaned, earning a laugh from around the table.

"Y'know, I like you guys!" Ururaka decided, clapping. "You look so cool, how do you get your hair like that, Sora?"

Sora blinked, tapping one of his spikes.

"Dunno, I just kinda... wake up like this." He said sheepishly, causing Riku to chuckle.

"I remember when you used to try to flatten them out, you were worried you'd pop Wakka's blitzball." Riku teased and Sora blushed a bright red.

"S-Shut up, Riku." He said, whacking his friend in the arm. "I was a dumb kid."

"Still are." Riku said, dodging another swipe.

Izuku smiled, watching them, but feeling a pang of sadness.

 _I wonder if... Kaachan and me would be like that..._

He shook his head, shaking those thoughts away.

No, it wouldn't be a good idea to linger on those thoughts... Kaachan had made his position pretty clear.

 _But even still... is it wrong to want to be friends, again...?_

"What's wrong, Izuku?"

The green haired teen blinked and looked up to see Sora looking at him with a worried look on his face.

Izuku offered a weak smile, shaking his head.

"It's... nothing." He muttered. "Just thinking about... stuff."

Sora frowned.

"C'mon Izuku, it's never good to hold stuff in like that." He pushed, gesturing to the table. "We're all your friends, right?"

Izuku looked at each of them, Ururaka smiling comfortingly, Iida offering a firm nod, Sora a bright grin, and Riku a knowing look, and a small smile.

"...it's just... Kaachan." He muttered, causing Ururaka to blink.

"Oh yeah, that's what you call Bakugo, right?" She asked, smiling at the nod. "And he calls you Deku! So, you're old friends?"

Izuku nodded sadly.

"But..." He muttered, sighing.

"He pushes you away, doesn't he?"

Izuku looked up, surprised, at Riku as he sat there with a sad look on his face.

"Y-Yeah..." He said. "How did you know that, Riku?"

The silver haired teen shrugged, looking away into the café.

"Riku..." Sora muttered, before shaking his head. "He's just got a good feel for people, y'know? But anyway, that sucks Izuku! You're such a cool guy, I don't get why he wouldn't want to be friends with you!"

Izuku blushed, stammering a little, but the tension had broken. The others were smiling again, and Izuku felt better, able to properly smile.

Riku glanced back at the table, smiling a little at his friend.

 _Still helping people, even when you don't know it..._

The conversation drifted all over the place, from Bakugo to school life, to homework, to the Islands the newcomers were from, to eventually friends.

"Do you guys have friends back home?" Ururaka asked, causing Sora to almost visibly deflate.

"...yeah, a few." Sora muttered, making Riku snort.

"Try a few hundred." He teased, nudging his downcast friend. "But I think she just means from the Islands."

Sora looked up and nodded, smiling a little.

"Well, there's Kairi." He said, eyes shining a little. "She's awesome, our best friend and kinda the one who keeps us out of trouble."

Riku nodded, leaning back in his char.

"She reminds me of you, Ururaka." Riku commented. "Bubbly and positive."

Ururaka blushed lightly and laughed.

"Good to know you guys have a sensible woman to keep you in line." She said, grinning, and Sora laughed.

"Yeah..." He said, looking up. "I know she's alright... I'll see her again."

Riku nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Right." He muttered. "One day."

Silence descended over the table, causing Izuku to realize they hadn't asked one important question.

"Oh yeah, why are you guys even at UA?" He asked, curious, and Sora grinned brightly.

"Oh, we just took a test to join the school!" He said happily, causing Izuku to gape at him.

"Hmm, late entries are practically unheard of in this school." Iida muttered. "But I suppose you both didn't have the chance to apply on time. Did you take the Robot Point test?"

Riku nodded.

"Just destroy some robots to get points, right?" He asked. "It wasn't a big deal."

"Wow, do you guys have super powerful quirks?" Ururaka asked, and Riku shrugged.

"I honestly dunno." Sora said, shrugging as well. "I don't know what you guys think counts as 'strong'. It's different everywhere, right?"

"I suppose..." Izuku muttered, thinking.

Different kinds of strength... different ways to define strong...

"I suppose judging everyone on one criteria would lead to a lot of strong people slipping through the cracks..." Izuku muttered, voice low. "But even so a good bench mark is someone or something that is average or better in all areas, making All Might a good benchmark, at least of the top. So, comparing someone's strength, speed, adaptability, intelligence, skills, and other factors can really only go so far, because strength is something that only applies when faced against another factor."

Sora blinked.

"Is he okay?" He asked Iida, who smiled.

"He's fine, Midoriya just likes to think out loud." He explained, while Riku sighed.

"It's more than that, Izuku." He told the muttering teen, who stopped to look at him. "True strength isn't body, or mind. It's the power of the heart."

Sora nodded, and Ururaka frowned.

"What does that mean, Riku?" Ururaka asked, a little confused. "Like, resolve?"

"I guess." Riku said, shrugging. "The heart is a mystery, really. Anything and everything can be a part of it, and it grows stronger with the people we meet, with the experiences we share."

Sora smiled at his friend.

"You should know, Riku, your heart is really strong!" He said, patting Riku's shoulder, but Riku just smiled and shook his head.

"No, I think we both know you're the strong one, Sora." He said softly, causing Sora to laugh.

"C'mon, don't put yourself down!" He said. "You've always been better than me at stuff, and you're one of the strongest people I know."

Riku just smiled again, a knowing look on his face, and Izuku blinked.

There was always more to All Might than just strength...

Izuku looked back at Sora, seeing the unwavering smile, and the positive aura he exuded, and realized that his new friend was... in many ways, a hero. Just like All Might.

Just like the hero that he wanted... no, that he was going to become.

The bell for the end of lunch suddenly rang, and Iida got up in a blink.

"We should be heading off to class." He said, bowing at the two newcomers. "It was a pleasure to meet you both, Sora-kun, Riku-kun."

"C'mon Iida, just Sora!" He exclaimed, sighing. "But yeah, it was cool meeting you guys! I hope we're in the same class!"

Ururaka said bye as she got up, her and Iida walking off, and Izuku smiled at them as he got his bag.

"I hope we're in the same class too." He muttered. "You guys take care, Sora, Riku!"

"You as well." Riku said, smiling as Sora put his hands behind his head, grinning.

"See ya later, Izuku!" Sora said, and Izuku raced off, hope blooming in his heart.

 _If Sora can do it... then so can I!_

* * *

"You're opinions, heroes?" Nezu asked, turning away from the monitoring screen.

Aizawa sighed, running a hand through his messy hair to get it out of his face.

"Riku, I'm not sure of." He admitted. "The kid seems the type to lie, cheat and fake his way through an interaction, but Sora..."

He shook his head.

"The kid doesn't have a dishonest bone in his body." He told them. "Riku might be faking his reactions, but Sora definitely isn't."

"I was just thinking that..." Midnight sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Sora seems like every other kid we get through here, aside from his strength."

"They push each other, and compete to be the best!" Present Mic said, grinning as he adjusted his glasses. "I think they'll fit right in here!"

The principle hummed and tapped away on the keyboard in front of him.

"Their quirks are registered as 'Keyblade'." He stated. "The details of which will remain blank, for security reasons. But the question becomes... do we admit them?"

Toshinori sat in the back of the room, silently watching the screen as the two teens began to make their way back to the testing area, the bright smile on Sora's face complimented by the wry grin on Riku's.

 _But appearances can be deceiving..._

Toshinori shook his head, closing his eyes in frustration.

 _No! I cannot see All for One's shadow everywhere I go! These boys need help, far from home, and I cannot see villainy where there is none!_

In a blink, Toshinori stood, and the frail, gaunt man was replaced by the towering, ever-smiling Symbol of Peace.

"I say we let them in." He declared in his booming voice, drawing all eyes in the room.

Nezu looked up at the number one hero, beady eyes serious.

"Does that mean you plan on taking responsibility for them, All Might?" The Principle asked, tone calm.

"And you're not worried about them being dangerous?" Midnight asked, looking curious.

The grin didn't fade or falter as he laughed.

"Of course!" He said. "Why...?"

"Because I am here!"


	4. In this Class 1-A

_**AN: Wow... It's been a while huh? I am sorry this chapter took so long to come out, a hellish combination of KH 3 coming out, one of the hottest summers on Australian record, nearly having to evacuate because of bushfires (IKR?!) and just plain lack of time management kept this on the back burner.**_

 _ **But I'm back now. And the above excuses aside, I am happy to be back writing this.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

Chapter 4 – In this Class 1-A

Riku groaned as he rolled over, the dark room barren of all light bar the alarm clock beside the bed.

 _5:50, huh...?_

Riku got up, running a hand through his silver hair as he stared ahead into the blackness, almost daring it to move, to speak, to do... anything.

"Stop it." He muttered, standing up and walking out of his room, finding the bathroom easily in the dark.

Ever since arriving, Riku had been worried. The dark was here, living and thriving in the hearts of villains and heroes alike, but it was... tame. Quiet.

Waiting.

Riku washed his face, looking up into the mirror and staring into his own aquamarine eyes.

"You're being paranoid." He tried to tell himself. "Not all darkness is waiting to consume everything. Just relax."

He cringed slightly.

"Dammit, I'm beginning to sound like Ansem..." He grumbled, stepping into the shower and trying to focus on more positive things.

They had been accepted. It wasn't really in doubt, from Riku's perspective, but Sora had been over the moon with happiness and relief. They were assigned to Class 1-A, and were given uniforms and expected to be there in the morning to begin.

And apparently, Aizawa was their teacher.

"He'll be a lot of fun..." Riku muttered, chuckling.

Honestly, Riku didn't know how he felt about going back to school. After he did so much, hurt so many, it felt almost... wrong, to go back to normal life.

But Sora... Sora would never stop until he did. Would never accept happiness unless they shared it.

Riku smiled, catching his friends snoring as he came out into the dark loungeroom. Sora hadn't even made it to bed, spending so much time thinking and fretting.

The older teen crouched beside the couch, watching his friend sleep without a care in the world.

"You've always slept like that..." He muttered. "In bed, on the beach, dead of night, middle of the day..."

Sora snorted in his sleep, shifting off to the side, small smile on his face.

Riku chuckled softly, his sorrowful mood fading away as he felt the light from his friend.

"As long as I have you, Kairi, Mickey..." He muttered, sliding down to lean against the couch, leaning his head back against the armrest and closing his eyes. "Then I won't get lost in the dark again."

* * *

Riku rolled his eyes as he watched his friend wring his hands for what seemed to be the thousandth time that morning.

"Sora, stop." He repeated. "It will be fine, they're just kids. How are you more scared of them than you were of Ansem, or Xemnas?"

Sora winced slightly, pacing a little as they waited in the hall outside their new classroom to be called inside.

"That's different." He whined. "Those two I could just... I dunno, beat them up. I don't think I can beat up my classmates..."

Riku chuckled, leaning against the wall beside the door.

"If the test is anything to go by, I wouldn't be too sure of that, Sor." He teased, drawing a chuckle out of his friend, but he didn't stop pacing.

Riku watched him for a little longer, before bringing up something that had been bugging him.

"Sora, you weren't this worried for high school before." He pointed out. "In fact, you were really excited."

Excited was an understatement. Even though he had never actually gone to high school, still in middle school when he had ruined any chance of graduating...

Still, he had been so excited to join Riku at high school, even though he tried to tell his friend several times it really wasn't anything different.

"It's... different." Sora said unhelpfully, sighing and joining Riku in leaning against the wall.

Riku looked him over, noting the tension in his friend that still refused to leave, the bags under his eyes that showed that Sora slept very little last night, even if he had managed it eventually, and the slight biting of his lip, constantly looking for someone who wasn't there.

"...you miss Kairi." Riku said softly, and Sora sighed.

"I just..." He muttered helplessly. "I can't help it. I feel like... Like I should be going to high school with her for the first time, y'know?"

Riku bit back the urge to tell him that Kairi had nearly completed a full year at high school before Axel had taken her, knowing that wouldn't help his friend with his dilemma.

The real problem was one that he was feeling himself... their group felt incomplete. Kairi had always been there, it was hard to even remember a time when she wasn't.

Riku closed his eyes, remembering a strange time. A time when Kairi wasn't there to show off to, to mess around with them before telling them off for it, when a stranger coming to the islands was such a strange event it...

" _Outside this tiny world... is a much bigger one."_

Riku opened his eyes sharply as the door beside them opened, the tired looking Aizawa looking out at them.

"Come in and introduce yourselves." He muttered, stepping back in and letting them join him.

Riku easily moved off the wall, patting Sora on the arm as he went.

"I know it's not the same." Riku muttered softly to his downcast friend. "But we'll see her again. And you already have a friend in this class anyway."

Sora brightened a little at the mention of Izuku, and smiled at his friend.

"Yeah..." He said, bouncing away from the wall. "C'mon Riku, lets... lets go to class."

* * *

Izuku Midoryia sighed as he slumped forward in his desk, eyes trained on the window to his left.

He STILL hadn't heard anything on Sora and Riku... All Might was being vague, to the point where Izuku almost suspected him of being intentionally so to frustrate him.

"C'mon Deku, it'll be fine..." Uraraka muttered, looking over at her downcast friend. "They said they did well on the test, right?"

Izuku nodded, not feeling all that reassured of things. Really, he didn't think they HADN'T gotten in. He just wanted, maybe a little selfishly, for them to be in this class. He hadn't known them for long, but Sora and Riku were his friends... and honestly, Izuku didn't have many of them.

He smiled up at Uraraka, happy that he had found such good friends in UA already.

"Yeah, they're really strong. I'm not worried." He reassured her, trying to look a little more hopeful.

It'll be nice to just have them at the school, anyway.

"Class, quiet."

The din immediately died down, the hero trainees all focusing on the front of the room as Aizawa-sensei rubbed the back of his neck, looking annoyed.

As in, more annoyed than normal.

"As some of you may have already heard..." The tired-looking hero began. "There are two late entrants to this school. Circumstances lead to them being unable to take the normal test, and so an exception was made."

Izuku blinked, eyes going wide as a smile began to form. Aizawa talking about this must mean...

"So, after testing them, they have been placed in the Hero course." The teacher grumbled. "So, we have two new students."

Aizawa walked over to the door and muttered something out into the hallway, before leading two teens in, one with silver hair and one brunette.

Izuku's smile turned into a broad grin as he locked eyes with Sora, who offered his bright smile in return, tension seeming to bleed out of him as he saw Izuku.

"Introduce yourselves." Aizawa repeated, taking his place and waiting, obviously annoyed he even needed to do this.

Sora stepped forward, the uniform looking odd on the boy as he had rolled up the sleeves and wore his tie very loosely, he gave of a very messy appearance.

"Hey everyone!" He began, grinning. "I'm Sora, no last name. I know that sounds weird to you guys, but we just don't have them where we come from! Um, I like beaches... ice-cream, and making friends! Oh, and I like sparring with my friends!"

Riku rolled his eyes, noticing how his friend was struggling to think of ways to talk about his friends without giving away the world order.

"Uh..." Sora floundered, looking left and right. "...Riku, your turn!"

Riku sighed and stepped forward. He had gone without a tie entirely, and wore his shirt untucked, but aside from that he was clean cut and presentable.

"As you heard, I'm Riku, no last name." He said, tone quiet but strong. "I like my friends, and my job is to keep this one in line."

He pat Sora's head, smirking slightly as his friend quickly became flustered, swatting his hand away and muttered.

"I also like sparring, and I look forward to seeing everyone in action." Riku finished, bowing slightly as he did so.

Aizawa nodded, and pointed at the back, where two new desks had been placed.

"Those are your desks." He told them. "You already have your timetables, don't be late to anything."

"Okay, sensei!" Sora said, grinning brightly at him, and Aizawa sighed, muttering about migraines as the two new teens walked over to their desks.

Izuku grinned at Uraraka, who sent him a 'I told you' look, and the pair silently decided to make their new friends as welcome as possible.

* * *

The new additions to the class certainly caused a stir, many of the students confused and curious as to why the class was two larger than the norm.

"It may go against regulations..." Uraraka said, trying to placate an irate Iida. "But isn't it nice that they're here?"

Iida sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"That may be so, but it is the principle of the thing!" He insisted, as everyone began to pack their supplies away for the next class. "What rule will be bent next, or even broken?"

Sora gave an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head.

"I mean, we didn't mean to cause any trouble, Iida..." He said, trying to defuse the older boy. "I didn't even know it was against the rules!"

"That is not the point-" Iida began, but was cut off.

"C'mon Class Prez, cool your engines." A red-haired teen with shark-like teeth said, grinning. "You're gonna make the new guys nervous!"

He turned to Sora and Riku, offering a hand to the closer brunette.

"Sup guys, I'm Eijiro Kirishima, and this is Denki Kaminari." He said, gesturing to himself and the blond beside him, who offered a grin as well.

"Nice to meet you!" Sora said, shaking his hand with a grin in return. "I'm Sora, and this is Riku, but I guess you already knew that..."

Kirishima laughed and shook his head.

"Naw its cool man." He dismissed. "So, you guys must be tough to get into this class, huh?"

Riku nodded, not really paying attention as he looked around at everyone in the room. Despite the fact that only these two had introduced themselves, everyone seemed to be interested in the new pair, enough to lag behind anyway.

But the two that caught Riku's attention the most where a spikey haired teen with red eyes, and a bird-like teen.

The first fit what he had heard of one Katsuki Bakugo, and that coupled with the side glares he shot Izuku every now and then, only confirmed Riku's suspicions. He would need to have a talk with the teen at some point.

 _His darkness... it isn't consuming, but it fuels him. Especially when it comes to Izuku..._

The other teen was a different case altogether. The quiet, bird-esque student practically reeked of darkness, so much so that it was hard to even get a read on his heart apart from it.

But... he also didn't seem ill, or corrupt, or even unstable. It was a practiced, controlled use of darkness...

Riku hummed in curiosity and turned away, refocusing on the conversation. It looked as though Sora had already made two more friends, laughing away with Kaminari and Kirishima about some joke he hadn't heard.

"We need to get moving to class." Iida reminded them as he walked past the group. "We have combat training with All Might next."

Izuku seemed to almost glow when he heard the news.

"I got so distracted I forgot!" He said, grinning with glee. "I wonder what he'll be like as a formal teacher...?"

Riku shrugged, remembering the large, imposing figure that was the Symbol of Peace, and the blinding light he put out.

Hardly a natural light, but Riku had to admire the drive. The shadows that the man had were deep, but they didn't deter him from what was right.

 _I guess I can't help but be a little envious..._

"Riku, you coming?" Sora asked, shaking the older teen out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah..." The silverette grumbled, following after his friend, who fell into step beside Izuku and Uraraka.

Riku watched as Sora effortlessly meshed with the heroes in training, almost as if he'd always been a part of their group.

"So, what do you think 'combat training' means, Izuku?" Sora asked, genuinely curious.

In his mind, he was picturing what Phil had put them through to train them, the closest thing he has experienced to 'Hero School'.

"I'm not sure..." Izuku admitted, rubbing his chin. "It'll probably have something to do with Quirk control... maybe in an environment where we can't go all out, or have to watch out for casualties or allies..."

Sora nodded, blue eyes gleaming.

"Sounds way cooler than hitting pots!" He said, laughing as he threw his hands behind his head.

Riku smiled at his friend, glad to see that the tension from before had almost entirely faded.

But... it was still there. In the way Sora almost asked the opinion of a girl who wasn't there, glanced around to see where she was on instinct, or simple looked sadly at the wall, or ceiling.

But Sora was strong. He'd pull through, and they would see her again, and the Islands, and everything else.

But for now...

Riku looked ahead at the corridor, the students mingling and racing around to get to class.

For now, this was fine.

 _ **AN: Sorry for the two long authors notes, but I have a question for you guys.**_

 _ **The story, as it is, has not romantic elements to it. They are not needed to the story I am crafting, but I am open to including it.**_

 _ **So, I thought I would ask you guys, after racking my brains to decide. Would you guys like romance in this story? And if so, who with?**_

 _ **I'm going to put up a poll on my page to vote on, and keep in mind that I probably won't just put pairings up on it, just vague ideas to get your opinion on the topic.**_

 _ **As an example, Cannon Ships (Sora X Kairi, Deku X Ochaco) Cross Ships (KH Characters X MHA Characters) Slash Ships (Male X Male, Female X Female) and combinations of those. Or just plain no ships.**_

 _ **For anyone worried about the story changing too much, don't be. I have left space open for this type of thing, I just hadn't decided what I wanted to do with it yet.**_

 _ **And now I have the opportunity to let you guys shape this story a bit. Either vote on the poll, or if you have a more detailed suggestion feel free to PM me with it.**_

 _ **Thanks guys, you're the best!**_


	5. In this Combat Training: Selection

_**AN: Thanks everyone for the warm welcome back!**_

 _ **The poll is now done, and here are the results (after adding in votes cast in other ways than the poll)**_

 _ **Cannon Ships: 18**_

 _ **Cross Ships: 18**_

 _ **No Ships: 14**_

 _ **Slash Ships: 10**_

 _ **And so, the winner is both Cannon and Cross! Interesting, I noticed it was tied and left it up for a while longer, but the results are set.**_

 _ **For further clarification, I am not in confusion as to where this story is going. I have plans for each of the options, I have simply decided to see what you guys would like to see, in broad terms. Which is why I don't plan on having a vote for actual ships, as I have already decided what ships would fit my narrative, and what ships would be well integrated into the story flow.**_

 _ **So yeah, I knew a few people were worried about that part, so rest assured, any path is a path I have thought out in advance. Well in advance, actually.**_

 _ **I think my girlfriend might be getting tired of me using her as a soundboard for ideas and story points, XD.**_

 _ **Anyway, this AN is already too long, so on with the show!**_

Chapter 5 – In this Combat Training: Selection

The excitement building in the classroom as the students waited for All Might to arrive was pretty overwhelming. Sora didn't quite understand the hype, but you couldn't really go to this school without hearing about the Number 1 Hero on nearly every corner.

"I don't even think Herc got this much love..." The brunette muttered to Riku, who simply chuckled softly at his friends' comment.

The muttering and excitement all came to a halt when the door slid open, revealing a tall, blond man with an indominable presence that demanded the attention of all inside.

All so he could...

"...coming through the door like a normal person!"

Sora blinked as the entrance shocked and awed the entire class, muttering and whispering kicking up about the appearance of such an awesome hero.

"I dunno, it seems about the same." Riku muttered to Sora, who snickered a little as All Might strode up to the teacher's podium.

"I teach Hero Basic Training." He told the class, causing most of them to suddenly snap back to reality. "A class that will cover many topics, all in the goal of making you ready to step into the future. A future as a hero."

Sora glanced over at Izuku, smiling at the almost giddy look on the green haired teens face as his eyes shone with both hope and admiration.

"And while we could start with anything..." He continued, ever-present grin seeming to grow wider. "We shall start with perhaps one of the most important parts."

With a flourish, he presented a card, with the word BATTLE written on it.

"Combat Training!"

Sora grinned at Riku, who smirked back. Ground they were pretty comfortable with was a good place to start.

"Combat training..." Izuku muttered, looking a little deflated as he immediately saw the problem with his participation.

"And to get you in the right mindset..." All Might cut across any chatter building in the room. "A change in attire is required!"

Lockers slid out of the wall, each numbered with vivid green lettering, and most of the students shot to their feet.

"Costumes, of course!" All Might said, looking like he was enjoying every second of this so far. "Each made custom for your quirks based on the requests you submitted at the start of the year!"

Sora got up, walking up to the last locker, which only held two numbers, 21 and 22.

"These must be ours, Riku." He called out to his friend, who nodded, opening up his locker.

Inside where their old clothes, Sora's magically created garb by the three fairies, and Riku's standard jeans and vest combo.

"Not really hero attire..." Riku muttered dryly as he grabbed the bundle. "But I feel better fighting in it... this, or an organization cloak."

Sora laughed a little as he grabbed his own set.

"You'd look more like a villain than a hero, Riku." He teased him, and the silverette rolled his eyes.

"It's all about how you rock it, Sor." He shot back as he turned, facing All Might as the teacher geared up to tell them the next step.

"Once you are changed, make your way over to Ground Beta!" He told them, walking over to the door. "There we shall begin proper!"

And with that he was gone.

"Wow..." Izuku muttered, holding a bundle of green cloth as he walked over to Sora and Riku. "I didn't really think about how much All Might would enjoy teaching... he seemed really excited."

Riku snorted.

"I dunno how long that's going to last." He said, shrugging. "Especially after he realizes he has to put up with all of us and our problems."

Sora groaned.

"Why you gotta be such a downer, Riku?" He asked, walking past him. "It'll be fine! C'mon I wanna see what this combat training is!"

Riku chuckled and followed his friend, Izuku following and falling into excited theorizing as to what the training might be.

* * *

"I really don't get your outfits, guys."

Kaminari stood in his costume on the walkway just inside Ground Beta, where the whole class was gathered as he looked at Sora and Riku's costumes.

Sora grinned a little sheepishly, adjusting his gloves.

"Well, my clothes were made to help me with my... quirk." He said, adjusting to the new terminology. "It lets me access it with less strain, I guess?"

Kaminari nodded, looking a little thoughtful, then glanced at Riku, who shrugged.

"I like the clothes." He said simply, and the blond nearly facepalmed.

"So, there just normal clothes?" He asked, feeling the need to clarify, and Riku nodded.

Kaminari sighed and turned away.

"Okay man, whatever works for you." He said, feeling a little introspective. He made his outfit just cause it looked cool, but maybe he should have made something to help with his quirk like Sora did...

"All right everyone, let's get started!" All Might proclaimed. "This will be a series of mock battles! You will divide into teams of two, one to play Hero, one for Villains! The Heroes goal is to either capture the Villains or to claim the weapon they will hide in the building. The Villains goal is to either incapacitate the Heroes or last until the timer ends!"

Everyone started muttering, excited about the chance to test their skills against each other, when Iida raised his hand.

"How will the groups be decided, sensei?" He asked, his tone respectful and loud.

"We..." All Might said, building up to before he revealed a box. "Will draw lots!"

Iida blinked, his helmet obscuring his dumbfounded reaction, and Riku nodded beside him.

"It makes sense." He said, causing Izuku to nod as well.

"Yeah, heroes often have to pair with heroes from other agencies, ones they might have no experience with at all." Izuku explained, and Iida nodded, feeling reassured.

"Now, let's get started!" All Might said, and everyone drew lots.

Izuku was surprised to see that Sora had drawn the same letter, A, and the brunette grinned at him.

"Nice, I'm glad I'm paired with a friend." Sora said, causing Izuku to smile back.

"Yeah, this works out pretty well." Izuku said, before a loud sigh could be heard beside them.

"Well this will be interesting..." Riku muttered, holding up a D, while Bakugo did the same, glaring at the silver haired teen.

"Now that all of the teams have been formed..." All Might stated, revealing two boxes with 'Heroes' and 'Villians' written on them. "The first bout will be between..."

With a flourish, he withdrew two balls, and A from Heroes, and a D from Villians.

"Team A VS Team D!"

Izuku blinked, before looking almost horrified as he met eyes with Bakugo, who grinned wolfishly at him.

Meanwhile, Sora and Riku had a very different reaction.

"Alright!" Sora said, jumping up on the spot and grinning at Riku. "Looks like we get to fight after all!"

Riku smirked back at his energetic friend.

"Just try to actually give me a challenge, Sora." He teased, causing Sora to puff up, eyes narrow as he started stretching.

"Oh you're asking for it, buddy!" Sora said, jumping from one foot to another. "We got this, right Izuku?"

The green haired teen was still frozen, only moving once Bakugo huffed and walked away, adjusting his grenade-looking gauntlets.

"Y-Yeah, Sora..." Izuku muttered, looking down. "Maybe..."

Riku shared a look with Sora before walking off to join his teammate in the building, and Sora came over and pat Izuku on the shoulder.

"C'mon, Deku." He said, grinning. "We gotta come up with a game plan. Those two probably aren't gonna be push overs."

Izuku watched Sora for a moment, before nodded, trying to push the instinctual fear down.

He would be fine. They would be fine.

He wasn't weak anymore.

"Yeah, let's see what we can do." Izuku said, smiling as brightly as he could manage.

* * *

"Damn Deku." Bakugo growled, kicking a loose rock as he waited in the room with the 'weapon'. "Right, plan is this. I go down there and I kick the crap out of Deku, you guard the weapon."

Riku rolled his eyes, leaning against one of the pillars. He assumed something like this would happen.

"I disagree." He said shortly, causing the blond to pause and glare at him.

"What?" He growled out, and Riku simply scoffed.

"You don't seem to understand something." Riku told him, aquamarine eyes drilling into crimson ones. "I want to win. And your strategy won't make that happen."

Bakugo turned fully and walked up to him, glaring up at the taller teen.

"Oh yeah?" He challenged. "And why not?"

"Because I don't think you can beat Izuku."

The words almost made Bakugo stagger backward, so blunt and honest that he was silent for a second, before laughing at Riku.

"Get real, that wannabe hero is nothing to me!" He shouted, hands heating up as he fought the urge to blow up his 'partner' for saying such stupid crap.

Riku sighed, looking away.

"...I used to think like you." He said softly, causing Bakugo to blink.

The hell was this guy going on about now?!

"I used to think Sora could never beat me." Riku clarified. "That he would always try, always fail, and always tail after me like an eager puppy."

Riku turned back and stared hard at the blond, who had been struck silent.

"But then, one day, he beat me." Riku said, tone neutral. "He beat me, and beat me, and kept beating me. He kept growing stronger, and I did nothing but stagnate, thinking I was better than him. Why should I feel the need to train? I am the best. Nothing else comes close. Sound familiar?"

Bakugo took a step forward, almost ready to blow this creep's face off, but stopped when a wing-key sword materialized between them, Riku glaring at him.

"Izuku will overtake you." He said, with absolute certainty. "And if you simply wallow in your delusion of grandeur, it will take you so much longer to grow yourself, to match him."

Riku dismissed his weapon and walked away, leaving a fuming and shaken Bakugo to stare at the pillar in front of him.

"...well?" Riku said after a moment. "Go. Fight Izuku, see what I mean. Sora will try to find me anyway. I know how he thinks."

Bakugo turned slowly and glared at the silverette before scoffing and walking down the stairs.

The weirdo didn't know anything... anything at all.

* * *

"Riku will wait by the weapon." Sora said to Izuku as they stood in front of the building, looking up at it. "He knows I'm gonna go to him, so he will just wait for me."

"Which means that..." Izuku muttered, looking at his own hand. "I have to deal with Kaachan."

Sora nodded, turning to look at Izuku.

"You know him better than me." He pointed out. "You can probably get a good read on him, right?"

Izuku thought about it, and nodded.

"He's gonna come find me, to try to fight me and end it quickly and brutally." Izuku muttered. "So that's not really a problem, finding him. The problem is..."

"Beating him, right?" Sora asked, earning a sigh and a nod. "Well, that quirk of yours seems pretty handy. Maybe you can use that."

Izuku shook his head.

"Even if I did, it'd be too much." He muttered. "I can't control it yet, and I don't want to hurt Kaachan that much... plus, it'll break my bones if I do."

Sora hummed, thinking about it, before summoning his keyblade in a flash, causing Izuku to jump a little.

"I think I get your problem." Sora said, grinning. "You see, when I was trying to learn magic, I was horrible at it. Riku can just throw out spells from his hands all the time, but I can only use them through my keyblade. My friend, a pretty good magician, called it 'a lack of control'."

Izuku mentally shifted the work 'magic' for 'quirk', already used to Sora's weird terminology.

"So, maybe that's your problem!" Sora said, turning to face him. "You need something to channel through, a focus."

Sora held out his keyblade to Izuku, who looked at it curiously.

"Try it with this, see if you can get some more control." Sora suggested.

Izuku frowned, unsure if One for All even worked like that, but reached out and took the blade, testing its weight.

It felt strange in his hands, a slight buzzing running over the entire blade, but not uncomfortable.

He closed his eyes and tried to channel his quirk into the blade, but it refused to flow down into the weapon.

Izuku shook his head and handed the blade back, causing Sora to pout.

"Hmm, maybe its cause its mine..." He muttered, dismissing the blade, but Izuku was already thinking ahead.

"A focus though..." He muttered. "Maybe something similar to what I did with the ball through... channeling to one small part, like my fingers, but in a combat way..."

Izuku grinned at Sora as he looked up.

"Thanks, Sora, I think I might have an idea now."

* * *

 _ **AN: And that's a wrap! This will be a three to four-part section, so as to give each part of this scene its due diligence.**_

 _ **Tune in next time for 'In this Combat Training: Deku Vs Kaachan'!**_


	6. In this Combat Training: Deku Vs Kaachan

_**AN: Hey guys. Sorry it's been so long, and to leave you on a cliffhanger, but stuff happened in real life. My cousin took his life recently, and I haven't been feeling the same spark.**_

 _ **It took me a while, but I'm back. And I want this to stand as a sign that I continue doing the thing I love in his memory.**_

 _ **Jake, this is for you. Love you man.**_

 _ **Now, my sappy tribute aside, on with the show!**_

Chapter 6 – In this Combat Training: Deku Vs Kaachan

Katsuki Bakugo could be called many things. Capable, intelligent, powerful.

Brash, arrogant, short tempered.

But above all else, the boy was driven. No one would ever think that the teen wouldn't give everything he had to whatever goal he had in mind.

Which is why is wasn't particularly surprising when Bakugo immediately sprinted off to find Izuku, leaving his partner at the weapon.

All Might let out an almost silent sigh, wondering if young Bakugo could ever slow down to cool off. It reminded him somewhat of a shark...

The teacher shook the errant thoughts from his head as he focused his attention back on the bout, eager to see what his protégé could do.

 _Make me proud, young Midoriya..._

* * *

It took no time for Izuku to hear Bakugo coming, having split from Sora almost immediately upon entering, he hadn't been making it hard for the blond to find his prey.

The nervous teen swallowed dryly, and tensed his body at the perfect time as Bakugo lunged around the corner, hands already crackling with his quirk.

"Deekkkuuu!" He roared, and Izuku moved, not allowing himself a moment to flinch at the tone.

With a practiced move, he gripped the extended arm and pivoted, slamming him into the ground with a heavy thud.

The greenette didn't let the moment blind him though, the wide, shocked look on Bakugo's face not registering as Izuku pushed the advantage, taking Sora's words to heart as he spun around and straddled the explosive teen and struck him once, twice, three times in the face, before the heat suddenly skyrocketed and explosions knocked him flying down the hallway.

Izuku slid to a halt, wincing as he felt the burns, but a grin worked its way onto his face as he saw Bakugo split lip, eyes narrow slits of pure rage.

 _C'mon, get angrier Kaachan..._

"That's all you got, Kaachan?" Izuku taunted, rising to his feet, settling into a combat stance, hoping to provoke the short-tempered teen.

And, for a moment, Kaachan looked livid. Like he wanted to rush forward and do nothing but grind him into dust, but after a moment, the tension bled out of Bakugo's face, leaving a cocky grin.

"Gotta admit..." Bakugo mused, laughing a little. "Not the tactic I expected from you, Deku. But next time, try not shaking like a leaf when you try to play cocky."

Izuku blinked, and looked down at his hands. He... he was shaking.

In a moment, all the adrenaline seemed to fade, leaving Izuku just staring at his childhood friend... his childhood bully, his enemy, his rival... what even was Bakugo to him anymore?

In the next moment, Bakugo was gone. Rushing forward he effortlessly closed the gap between them and gripped the startled teen, using his own explosions as propulsion to gain momentum, ending in a vicious slam from his gauntlet clad arms.

Izuku grit his teeth, refusing to vocalize the pain in his arm. He was pretty sure something was broken, or at least fractured.

"What's the matter, Deku?" Bakugo shouted, snatching the other teen with his off hand as he yanked the boy closer. "Where's the confidence? Huh?!"

A solid punch to the gut had Izuku nearly puking onto the ground, but he held his ground, trying to focus. Just... there has to be a way!

Izuku shot forward, grabbing Bakugo's collar and headbutting him, knocking the teen backward just enough for Deku to get his leg up and kick him further away. Not wasting any time, Izuku immediately ran backward, as fast as his legs could carry him.

 _My plan needs distance... he can't use his quirk at large ranges, but I..._

"Deku, get back here!"

Izuku didn't look over his shoulder, knowing that Bakugo would be closing the gap, using his explosion to propel him at least a little.

 _Focus, focus, focus, focus..._

Izuku spun around, the narrow corridor he had ran down perfect for his plan, and leveled his hand, fingers clenched.

Bakugo saw the change and immediately readied for some sort of stupid plan, as the idiot was sure to have one.

Power gathered in Izuku's fingers, and he did his best to minimize it, trying to direct the raging torrent that was One for All to only his fingers.

 _Focus, focus, focus, focusfocusfocusfocus-_

"SMASH!"

A deafening flick resounded through the hallway, all five fingers on his hand shattering under the power, but sending the planned result: five condensed blasts of air pressure straight down the narrow hallway at Bakugo.

The blond's eyes widened at the attack, and before he could dodge, the streams of air bludgeoned into him, sending him sailing backward down the hall, impacting hard with the wall at the turn.

Izuku gasped out in pain, dropping to his knees and gripping his hand, staring at his mangled hand, but still grinning.

"I... did it..." He muttered out, only for his skin to whiten as he heard a groan, and saw movement.

Bakugo stood back up, coughing a small amount of blood, but otherwise looking unharmed.

And he looked... mad.

No, mad wasn't the right word. He looked furious, scared, unsure, almost manic.

"Deku... you bastard." He growled out, fists clenching. "Is this what you think is funny?! Huh?! Hiding this from me... playing the dumbass, quirkless idiot!"

Izuku didn't even bother opening his mouth. He knew nothing he could say would be good enough... nothing would even be the truth.

At the silence, Bakugo just laughed softly.

"Fine." He muttered. "You wanna be a hero so badly? You wanna beat ME so badly?! Then take this!"

The explosive teen immediately spun his hand around, gripping at the pin in his gauntlet, grinning like a madman as he prepared to unleash the payload stored inside.

* * *

"Young Bakugo, you are not to use that type of force in this bout!" All Might said into the mic, only to not even be met with a response. "Young Bakugo!"

From the doorway of the monitoring room, Eraser Head watched, silently judging the two teens on the screen as he remained unnoticed by all inside.

* * *

 _I think... I might be dead._

The gauntlet shot forward a huge blast of napalm, the explosive force wrecking the floor, walls and ceiling. In his effort to trap Bakugo, he made it impossible to dodge this attack.

Izuku saw the wall of fire coming closer to him, almost in slow motion as he contemplated just closing his eyes and accepting it.

But...

"Young Midoryia! Move!"

The voice of his mentor, his hero, his teacher... the one who gave him this shot, who gave him the opportunity to stand up on his own, to achieve his dream, resounded from his ear piece, alongside another voice.

"You got this, right Izuku?"

 _All Might... Sora..._

And so, for the first time, Izuku _moved._

Green lightning spark across his body as he lunged forward, no thought in his mind, no plan to follow, no analysis to run.

Just him, his quirk, his enemy, his desire.

Izuku slid under the fireball, using his already damaged hand to cover his face as he did, and sprang forward from under it, glowing green eyes shooting toward Bakugo, silhouetted by the roaring fire behind him.

And Bakugo stood, and stared as sheer, unrestrained instinct ran into him like a freight train, arm lodging into his gut with far more force than anything he'd felt before.

"You keep saying that name..." A shaky, barely present voice spoke in his ear as he felt the pain slowly consume him. "But you don't know what it means... Deku... is the name of a hero! The hero..."

More power seemed to surge through the young teen as Bakugo felt momentum begin to take him.

"The hero that beat you, Kaachan!"

And Bakugo was sent flying back into the same wall, this time being sent straight through it and out onto the street on the practice city, his consciousness lasting long enough to stare at the sky, reflecting on the words that damn Riku had put in his head, before passing out.

Inside the building, sporting fractured legs, broken fingers and burns on one arm and the other being broken entirely, the burst of raw, unbelievable energy faded, leaving Izuku to sway, and collapse onto the ground.

As his consciousness faded, his only thought was desperately trying to figure out... how...

How the hell... he just did... whatever that was...?

* * *

 _ **AN: And that is that! A bit of a short chapter, but considering that I wanted to just keep it to this fight, I thought it was a good length.**_

 _ **Yes, this fight is quite different. I started out with just a few changes, but ended up seeding and spiraling out into what you just read. There are a lot of changes here that are important, some of them obvious and some of them not so. I look forward to seeing everyone's thoughts on this one.**_

 _ **Next time, Sora Vs Riku!**_


	7. In this Combat Training: Sora Vs Riku

Chapter 7 – In this Combat Training: Sora Vs Riku

Sora jogged up the stairs two at a time, wide grin on his face at the thought of what lay in wait for him on the next floor.

He didn't expect Riku to be hiding, and Riku didn't disappoint. He could practically feel his friend's presence, like he was broadcasting it.

It was a challenge. Come and get me, Sora.

And the brunette wasn't going to ignore it.

He kicked open the last door, sprinting into the room as he summoned his keyblade, ready to go in an instant.

Riku just leant against a pillar, smirking at his friend, an unmistakable fire in his eyes.

"Hey Sora." He said casually, slowly leaning away from the pillar, his easy tone hiding the excited tension in his coiled body. "Been a while, huh?"

Sora blinked, then smirked at his friend.

"Since we had a chance to throw down?" He said, thinking. "Yeah... not since the island."

Riku winced slightly, both hurt and a little confused, but Sora kept talking.

"I wanna fight you with everything we've got. No tricks, no outside help, no other motives... let's just fight. Like old times."

Riku stared at his friend, seeing nothing but compassion and fire in those sky-blue eyes, and chuckled.

"Yeah..." He said softly, summoning Way to the Dawn. "I guess we don't really have anything else to say, huh?"

Sora just grinned in response, and in a breath, they both lunged forward.

Flashes of light and sparks filled the room as the two warriors clashed over and over, darting back and forth with speed that dazzled the eye. Nothing was said, nothing was heard except the sound of metal on metal, skill with their blades all that mattered.

Sora slipped under his friend's guard, slashing at his lower body and knocking him to the ground with a heavy thud. Sora paused for a moment, grinning at his victory, but his trained eye saw the familiar way Riku's body tensed as it rocked back, and he quickly dove to the side as Riku kicked forward, clean past the brunette.

"C'mon Riku, do you think I'd still fall for that?" Sora taunted, only to be knocked clean off his feet by the suddenly summoned winged keyblade of his friend, as it sailed back through the air into Riku's hand, the silver haired teen smirking.

"Hm, you still don't got it." He taunted, the old jab serving as intended as Sora grit his teeth, lunging back into the fight.

Riku danced around his blows, using his superior speed and footwork to avoid Sora's admittedly stronger strikes, before he dashed to the side and threw a dark fireball at the younger teen.

Sora took it in stride, casually swatting it aside as he channeled magic through his keyblade, brow furrowing in concentration.

"Lightning!"

The seemingly random bolts of electricity rained down, but Riku was already moving, grinning as he narrowly avoided the magic.

"Still can't cast without incanting, Sora?" He teased, throwing out a Dark Blizzaga, the shadowy ice freezing a good part of the floor.

"What's it to ya?" Sora shot back, leaping up and off of a pillar and rushing his friend from the air to avoid the ice, clashing with enough force to send the older teen sliding backward, gritting his teeth.

Riku shoved back against Sora, slipping into the shadows as he Dark Rolled past his friend, slashing at him as he rematerialized, only to find his swing blocked again, the intense fire in the blue eyes always leaving him surprised.

Gone was the small boy that used to trail after him... if he underestimated him, Sora would beat him with no effort.

Riku felt the grin tugging at his lips, and saw the brilliant smile that lit his way out of the darkness shine back at him.

"C'mon Riku, you've got more than that!"

And he did.

"Fine, let's go for real, Sora!" Riku shouted, leaping backward into the air as darkness coiled around him. It answered his call so easily, but Riku knew that HE was the one in control, not it.

"Dark... Splicer!"

Riku vanished into shattering images, fading in and out of sight from every angle and yet no solid direction, leaving Sora to frantically look from side to side, looking for where his friend would attack from.

In a blink, Sora knew the answer. Every direction.

He grunted in pain as he was sent flying up into the air, slashes, kicked, punches, even a few headbutts raining down on him in the span of a second, blood flying from his mouth as he coughed.

The brunette closed his eyes, reaching deep inside himself.

 _Give me strength..._

And the light exploded out of him, knocking Riku away and out of his Splicer.

Sora landed with a light thud, outfit shifted to a dark red, and in his off hand was the Guardian Soul keyblade, brimming with energy as he flicked it around. The sparks of light settled, healing the wounds Riku had managed to inflict as Sora grinned.

"C'mon, let's go!"

Riku sighed, shaking his head as he grinned.

"Trust you to go all out from the get go." He taunted, drawing the shadows in as he channeled their strength, a dark blue aura building around him.

Both stared at each other, gauging the other's first move, not willing to budge and inch in their contest of wills, before as one, they lunged forward, clashing with a rush of light and darkness that sent shockwaves out, shattering the nearby windows and rattling the 'weapon' as it sat, forgotten in a corner.

Sora grit his teeth, his Valor Form giving him enough speed to keep up with even the amped up Riku in front of him, but the forms biggest weakness was beginning to show.

Riku lept back and forth, in and out of close range, weaving magic and swordplay as easy as breathing, while Valor Form completely cut Sora off from magic use at all. Sure, the massive strength and speed boost usually made up for it, but here...

He lunged forward, swinging both blades in an arc, putting all his enhanced strength behind one strike, hoping that Riku would do what he thought he would.

And Sora grinned as Riku raised a Dark Shield, realizing he would not be able to dodge at this range.

The ringing, bell-like sound that filled the room when the strike landed shook what little glass remained in the window frames to the floor, and for a moment, there was nothing.

Then the shield cracked, and shattered apart as Riku was send flying back into the wall, grunting in pain as he impacted painfully. Sora lunged forward, not willing to give his friend a single moment to recover, slinging one key forward in a Strike Raid as he closed the gap.

Riku coughed a mouthful of blood onto the floor as he shot back to his feet, just in time to lean out of the way of the Guardian Soul that had been sent spinning toward him.

Riku grinned slightly as he suddenly snatched one hand out, gripping the Guardian Soul with his offhand just in time to catch Sora's Kingdom Key with both blades.

Sora's eyes went wide, then narrowed in concentration as he disengaged and dashed back, raw speed and reaction time the only things that let him keep up with Riku's duel wielded assault. The silver haired teen pushed him back, step by step, his already lightning quickness bolstered by the second weapon, until Sora felt the wall behind him, forcing him to a split-second decision.

With a flash of light, Valor Form faded, dismissing the second key just in time for Riku to try to hit Sora with empty air, eyes widening as he realized his position. Sora shot forward like a bullet, forgoing bringing his blade around, his mind already adjusting back to his base speed and strength as he brought his fist around, driving it into Riku's stomach and sending him skidding backward just enough to follow it up with a sudden kick to the side of Riku's head.

The blows sent the older teen reeling backward, seeing stars as he flung his hand out in the vague direction of Sora, sending a wide arc of Dark Thunder to deter him from coming closer.

But he hit air, and in a moment Riku dove backward on instinct, the Kingdom Key driving into the ground enough to leave a crater from Sora's dive attack. The distance and the time were all Riku needed to through a low-level Dark Cure at himself, refocusing his vision enough to rush in and engage his brunette friend, both of them grinning widely as they clashed again, and again, and again.

Fatigue was starting to set in for both fighters, neither having any idea how long they had been fighting, just that they were still within the half hour All Might had set.

But in a moment, the building shook with a powerful explosion, causing both fighters to stumble and glance down at the ground, sensing the fight between their teammates.

Sora closed his eyes, feeling the heart of his friend. Izuku, who burned so brightly, who dreamed for the top, to be an inspiration to everyone around him.

"You got this, right Izuku?" Sora asked, activating his headset for a moment. And both heroes grinned at the sudden surge of energy they felt from down below.

 _Was never worried about you, Deku._

"Let's wrap this up, Sor." Riku said, letting his grin fade as he kicked his friend backward into the air as he gathered all his remaining energy, pooling darkness around him as his hand began to shake from the gathered shadows. "Can't let them outdo us, right?"

Sora nodded with determined eyes as he flipped midair, floating in place near the roof as light began to gather around his keyblade, the two auras building wider and wider as they burned with the will of two warriors who would not be denied.

 _Get ready, Sora..._

 _Hope you're ready, Riku..._

"Dark Aura!"

"Ragnarok!"

The two bursts of energy exploded outwards, dozens of blazing beams of dark fire and holy light flying to meet in the center of the room, blooming into massive orbs of clashing energies, shredding the room around them as the two poles of light and dark stood, staring each other down with no desire to give in, no doubt of their victory, no intention to hold back.

And as quick as the clash began, it subsided, the nexus of light and dark fading away, leaving normal reality in its wake.

And as the dust settled, both warriors stood, beaten, bruised, exhausted, but still meeting each other's gaze, the resolve of their hearts clear for all watching, waiting for the final moment to pass.

And with a shaky breath, Riku fell forward, slumping to the ground, barely catching himself on his blade, resting on one knee as he stared, panting softly at his friend.

Sora shifted, lifting his head a little and grinning, before slumping downward, fully over onto his back, laughing softly.

"Damn..." He muttered, trying to get up. "I guess... that's a tie?"

Riku chuckled softly, trying and also failing to move beyond his prone position.

"Guess so..."

Both friends laughed softly to themselves, until the buzzer rang through the building, and All Might's voice resounded, his voice subdued and bereft of its usual energy.

"Due to the heroes' subjugation of both villains, the winner is the hero team!"

Sora let out a soft whoop of victory, and Riku smirked at his friend, happy that Izuku had done what he had expected him to be capable of.

 _Now if only Bakugo could do the same..._

* * *

 _ **AN: Here it is, the next chapter! Just purely focused on this fight, and it was a lot of fun to write! I hope it was fun to read as well.**_

 _ **Shoutout to Mahope'ss, who reviewed in spanish? I appreciate it regardless, and don't worry, this story is far from abandoned.**_

 _ **And yes, I gave Riku some of his abilities from DDD, considering that DDD will not be covered in this story, I wanted to expend on his KH2 moveset.**_

 _ **Join me next time, with the final part of this act, 'In this Combat Training: Aftermath'!**_


End file.
